Many different professions require the use of a flashlight for visibility in a dark environment. Examples of persons employing flashlights while on the job include law enforcement officers, inspectors, automobile mechanics, and exterminators. Likewise, persons engaged in various outdoor activities such as camping also frequently require a readily-available flashlight. However, it is inconvenient to manually hold a flashlight for long periods of time because one hand must be dedicated to the flashlight.
A number of apparatuses have been developed to hold a flashlight and to thereby enable one to perform tasks with both hands while having ready access to the flashlight when needed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,894,119, issued to Stenger on Jul. 7, 1959 and entitled "Flashlight Holder", discloses a device of T-shaped construction having a longitudinal section with a substantially square base. Stenger discloses an opening in the base for hanging a flashlight therethrough and slots in the two wings of the longitudinal section for receiving any stationary object therethrough, such as a twig or branch. Therefore, the device disclosed by Stenger allows one to hang a flashlight from a nearby tree; however, the device is not located on one's person and could result in the misplacement of the flashlight. Moreover, the opening in the base of Stenger's device must be correctly sized for a particular flashlight. U.S. Design Pat. No. 354,677, issued to Troyer on Jan. 24, 1995 and entitled "Clip for a Flashlight", discloses an apparatus onto which a flashlight might be mounted that has a clip design for attachment to a thin sheet of material, such as a car visor.
A number of issued patents disclose flashlight holders that enable the storage of a flashlight on one's person. For example, U.S. Design Pat. No. 264,391, issued to Schweitzer on May 18, 1982 and entitled "Combined Headband and Flashlight Holder", discloses a flashlight holder in the form of a headband. However, one might find the weight of a flashlight about one's head to be uncomfortable in the event the flashlight moves about during physical activity. A number of issued patents disclose the storage of flashlights on one's arm. For example, the following issued patents teach wrist-mounted flashlight holders: (1) U.S. Design Pat. No. 344,411, issued to Henry et al. on Feb. 22, 1994 and entitled "Wrist Light Mount"; (2) U.S. Design Pat. No. 328,820, issued to Davie on Aug. 25, 1992 and entitled "Flashlight Holder"; and (3) U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,356, issued to McWilliams on Feb. 11, 1997 and entitled "Flashlight Stand and Wrist Mount System". U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,506, issued to Leard on Oct. 13, 1992 and entitled "Flashlight Armband", discloses a flashlight holder comprising an adjustable elastic strap for encircling the arm and a smaller integral sleeve for retaining the flashlight. The storage of a flashlight on one's arm or wrist, while freeing the hands, may still be inconvenient during activities requiring free use and swing of one's arms without hindrance, particularly for mid-sized to large-sized flashlights.
Several issued patents disclose flashlight holders that are belt-mounted so that the flashlight is readily accessible in a more convenient fashion around one's torso rather than on an appendage. In most cases, the belt-mounted flashlight holder maintains the flashlight in a vertical position that is substantially perpendicular to the belt line--essentially, such designs allow the flashlight to dangle from the belt. However, the vertical orientation of a flashlight at one's torso can be bothersome when in a seated position as well as during locomotive activity due to interference with leg movement. The following four issued patents teach such vertical belt-mounted flashlight holder systems: (1) U.S. Design Pat. No. 271,160, issued to Sherwin on Nov. 1, 1983 and entitled "Flashlight Holder"; (2) U.S. Design Pat. No. 293,628, issued to Teachey on Jan. 12, 1988 and entitled "Belt Mounted Flashlight Holder"; (3) U.S. Design Pat. No. 351,480, issued to Bamber et al. on Oct. 11, 1994 and entitled "Belt Flashlight"; and (4) U.S. Design Pat. No. 377,118, issued to Carbone et al. on Jan. 7, 1997 and entitled "Belt-Attached Flashlight Holder". Incidentally, a flashing light belt is disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. No. 291,942, issued to Green on Sep. 22, 1987, but is not designed to hold a flashlight.
Accordingly, there is a need for flashlight holding apparatus that maintains a flashlight in a readily accessible position about one's torso that neither interferes during locomotive activity nor when assuming a seated position. The apparatus have a simple and sturdy design that is readily adaptable to a variety of sizes and shapes of flashlights and should be readily and inexpensively manufactured from commonly-available parts.